Objective: To analyze data available in the literature regarding a possible prognostic value of the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in prostate cancer (PCa) patients stratified in non-metastatic and metastatic diseases.
Methods: A literature search process was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. In our meta-analysis, the pooled event rate estimated and the pooled hazard ratio were calculated using a random effect model.
Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) constitutes a rare and aggressive entity accounting for 5% to 10% of all urothelial tumors. The importance of stratification and disparities according to ethnicity and age has never been tested in a sufficiently large sample of patients with metastatic UTUC (mUTUC). We conducted this study to address this void, and we hypothesized that the distribution of metastases may vary according to age and ethnicity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExosomes are extracellular nanovesicles (EV), that is, carriers of different biomolecules such as lipids, proteins, nucleic acids. Their composition and the fact that their release dramatically increases in cases of tumorigenesis open up different scenarios on their possible application to research into new biomarkers. The first purpose of the present review was to specifically analyze and compare different methodologies available for the use of exosomes in prostate cancer (PC).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Urolithiasis is a chronic condition, and it has been associated with a significant negative impact on patients' health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Several tools to assess patients' HRQOL have been validated in Italian, however disease-specific HRQOL instruments are still lacking. We aimed to develop and validate the Italian version of the WISQOL (I-WISQOL) in patients with urolithiasis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancers (Basel)
March 2023
Background: In an era of Bacillus of Calmette-Guérin (BCG) shortages, the comparative efficacy from different adjuvant intravesical BCG strains in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) has not been clearly elucidated. We aim to compare, through a systematic review and meta-analysis, the cumulative BC recurrence rates and the best efficacy profile of worldwide available BCG strains over the last forty years.
Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched from 1982 up to 2022.